Comic bowling ball



July 26, 1966 A. F. MILLER COMIC BOWLING BALL Filed April 7, 1964 FIG. 1

ILLL

Ian-l FIG. 3a

. MILLER ALBERT F INVENTOR. BY W W 15 174: FIG. 3b

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,262,700 COMIC BOWLING BALL Albert F. Miller, 363 S. Pleasant Ave., Ridgewood, NJ. Filed Apr. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 358,048 2 Claims. (Cl. 27227) The present invention relates to trophies and more particularly to trophies used in bowling leagues.

Individuals who participate in sports are familiar with the fact that some days, no matter how hard they try, they just dont do well. The object of the present invention is to provide a trophy or more specifically a booby prize, for the lowest score bowled in a single game for a given bowling season.

The invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view of the comic bowling ball herein contemplated;

FIGURE 2 shows a similar view of the comic bowling ball of FIGURE 1 but with the extensions spread out; and,

FIGURES 3a and 3b are a top view of the tubes forming the extensions.

Two hollow cylindrical tubes 1 and 2 are disposed across the diameter of a hollow black spherical housing 3 designed to resemble a standard nine inch bowling ball. The tubes are about three-quarter inch in diameters and about 8 and one-quarter inches in overall length. One tube is of slightly smaller diameter than the other and the two tubes can be telescoped one within the other. Towards the periphery of the sphere, the two tubes 1 and 2 are supported by bearing hubs 4 and 5 so that they can move longitudinally outwards, upon the device being activated by a plunger button arrangement.

The plunger button arrangement generally includes a plunger button 6 disposed at one end of a locking rod 7. At the other end of locking rod 7 is a spring 8, the rod and spring being held in a peripheral support block 9, while the plunger button is slidably held a similar peripheral support block 10. Locking rod 7 is orthogonally disposed with respect to cylindrical tubes 1 and 2 across the diameter of the spherical housing.

Disposed in tubes 1 and 2 is a coiled spring 11, the center of which goes around locking rod 7. This spring has the tendency to propel tubes 1 and 2 like extensions, out from spherical housing 3. Disposed over the ends of tubes 1 and 2 are end plugs 12 and 13 of slightly curved outer configuration so that they will appear to form part of the bowling ball surface. Spring 11 is securedly fastened to the plugs at both ends, as better illustrated in FIGURES 3a and 3b, each tube, 1 and 2 has a pair of longitudinal windings 14 and 15 extending from the center in the direction opposite to that of the end plugs 12 and 13. One set of windows in each tube terminates towards the center of the tube with a wide circular opening 16 and 17. When the two tubes are inwardly nested, these circular openings are placed one over the other, and a plug inserted through these openings will stop the outward movement of the tubes. Such a plug 18 is provided on locking rod 7. The action of spring 8 effectively tends to maintain plug 18 engaged in openings 16 and 17. This keeps tubes 1 and 2 prop erly nested one in the other and end plugs 12 and 13 properly occupy the surface of the bowling ball. When plunger button 6 is depressed, plug 18 is pushed out of engagement with openings 16 and 17. The action of 3,262,700 Patented July 26, 1966 ice spring 11 then forces tubes 1 and 2 outward, the tubes sliding along the windows past the locking rod 7 so as to provide a bowling ball with extensions.

Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the invention and appended claims.

I claim:

1. A comic bowling ball comprising in combination a hollow spherical housing;

a pair of hollow telescoping tubes nested in said housing across the diameter thereof including retaining portions thereon to retain said tubes in the nested position;

spring means in said tubes biased so as to outwardly telescope said nested tubs;

retaining means designed to engage said retaining por tions holding said tubes in the nested position including spring means biasing said retaining means in the engaging position, and,

release means coupled to said spring means to remove said retaining means from said engaging position so as to outwardly telescope said tubes.

2. A comic bowling ball comprising in combination,

a hollow spherical housing;

a pair of hollow telescoping tubes nested in said housing across the diameter thereof, each tube having a length slightly less than said spherical housing diameter, each tube having one curved outer end plug designed to occupy the surface of said outer spherical housing simulating a solid sphere, each tube having opposed longitudinal windows extending from about the center thereof in the direction opposite to that of said end plug, one of the windows in each tube having a wide portion towards the tube center, said wide portions of said windows being axially aligned when said tubes are inwardly nested and said end plugs are at the surface of said housa;

spring means in said tubes biased to outwardly extend said tubes from said spherical surface;

a locking rod orthogonally disposed with respect to said tubes passing through said windows and a locking plug on said locking rod designed to engage said Window wide portions retaining said tubes against the action of said spring means;

second spring means at one end of said locking rod tending to maintain said locking plug in engagement with said window wide portions; and,

a push button at the other end of said rod at about the surface of said spherical housing which when depressed will push said locking plug out of engagement with said window wide portions so as to outwardly telescope said tubes.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,563,019 8/1951 Gelb et a1. 46208 3,106,397 10/1963 Lacey 273-58 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

F. B. LEONARD, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A COMIC BOWLING BALL COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A HOLLOW SPHERICAL HOUSING; A PAIR OF HOLLOW TELESCOPING TUBES NESTED IN SAID HOUSING ACROSS THE DIAMETER THEREOF INCLUDING RETAINING PORTIONS THEREON TO RETAIN SAID TUBES IN THE NESTED POSITION; SPRING MEANS IN SAID TUBES BIASED SO AS TO OUTWARDLY TELESCOPE SAID NESTED TUBS; RETAINING MEANS DESIGNED TO ENGAGE SAID RETAINING PORTIONS HOLDING SAID TUBES IN THE NESTED POSITION INCLUDING SPRING MEANS BIASING SAID RETAINING MEANS IN THE ENGAGING POSITION, AND, RELEASE MEANS COUPLED TO SAID SPRING MEANS TO REMOVE SAID RETAINING MEANS FROM SAID ENGAGING POSITION SO AS TO OUTWARDLY TELESCOPE SAID TUBES. 